THE Christmas tradition of celebrating Holy Communion on Christmas Eve may cause some people to wonder:

Why celebrate Jesus Christ's death when we are supposed to be celebrating His birth?


The meaning of the Eucharist encompasses much more than Jesus' death. It is only because God came to us in the flesh-and-blood Jesus Christ that His death and resurrection have power to save us.


As you receive the communion bread and cup on Christmas Eve, remember that in Jesus, God's Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14).

The Rev Hoyt Hickman is an author, educationist and church worship expert in Nashville, Tennessee.